Sky People, or Skaikru(Trigedasleng), is a term used by the Grounders to describe a person who came from the Ark. They are also commonly known as Arkers and on at least one occasion as Arkadians. The Sky People are descendants of humans who survived the Nuclear Apocalypse97 years prior because they were already living in space or managed to escape in shuttles.[1][2]

With almost a century since the Apocalypse, the Ark merely needed to survive another two hundred years to ensure that the ground is viable for life. Little did most of the Ark population know that oxygen was running out, and soon enough, they would be forced to take their very homes through reentry, and begin life on the ground.

Contents

History

First page of the remembrance book.

The first Sky People were referred to as 'Grounders', which was the name used to indicate a person born on Earth rather than in space. The 400-odd humans escaped the apocalypse on 12 space stations, that were combined into the Ark.

A metal remembrance book lists the names of everyone who has ever lived on the Ark, with the first page starting with the first generation of Arkers, i.e. the Grounders.[3][4] Several members of the Ark's Grounders share last names with characters in the series, indicating a possible family connection. Clarke and Abigail Griffin are the only main characters from the Ark whose last name is not shown on the Grounders list.

Project Exodus then took place and the Ark was brought to the ground. An estimate of how many survivors of the Ark made it to the ground in "We Are Grounders (Part 2)" is unknown since there are still several missing stations as of the Season Two finale. So far, Mecha Station, Alpha Station, Factory Station and Farm Station are the only four stations with known survivors with Factory Station having only one survivor, Mel.

It was not until "Wanheda (Part 2)", that it was discovered that Farm Station survived the landing with no casualties. However, after four months trapped within Ice Nation territory, their numbers were reduced by two-thirds to only 63 survivors (i.e. they had approximately 189 members upon landing). In "Watch the Thrones", 49 Sky People are killed when Mount Weather's self-destruct sequence is initiated by an Ice Nation assassin including 35 survivors from Farm Station.

After the Second Nuclear Apocalypse, the population of the Sky People has been reduced to approximately 106: about 100 in the Second Dawn Bunker, 5 in space, and Clarke in Shallow Valley. Those in the bunker became part of Wonkru. During the six-year time skip between season 4 and 5, almost a third of Wonkru members died, some of whom were Sky People.

By the end of the fifth season, Wonkru is reduced to 300 from the original 1,200, thus averaging to less than 25 people for each of the twelve member clans. Though the exact number of Sky People is unknown, there is ten named Sky People remaining.

However, in "Sanctum", Niylah reveals that there is not many Sky People left, implying that there is only more than a few dozen Sky People left, as seen in "Red Sun Rising".

Throughout the Series

After the Ark's resources began dwindling faster than projected, 100 delinquents were sent to Earth to see if it was survivable. Chancellor Jaha mentioned in Contents Under Pressure that there were 2237 people on The Ark, but they only have enough Exodus ships for 700 to get to Earth. In Unity Day, Diana Sydney's dropship escape costs the lives of hundreds of Arkers as well as everyone on board her dropship. It is estimated in The Calm that there were no more than 1,000 survivors and at least 1,500 dead as a result.

Project Exodus took place and the Ark was brought to the ground. An estimate of how many survivors of the Ark made it to the ground in We Are Grounders (Part 2) is unknown since there are still several missing stations as of the Season Twofinale. So far, Mecha Station, Alpha Station, and Farm Station are the only three stations with a substantial number of survivors; Factory Station has one survivor, Mel. Farm Station was discovered to have landed in Azgeda territory, but is united with the rest of the Sky People in Season Three where a Farm Station survivor named Pike becomes Chancellor, until his death in the third season finale.

Society

Life on the Ark was not easy, as every resource was valuable and wasting resources was a Crime unto itself. Medical supplies were carefully tracked, food and water was rationed, and even the oxygen breathed was closely monitored.[5] Families were permitted one child only to reduce population, and giving birth to additional children born was a capital crime for both parents.

There was a small, but noticeable stratification within the social hierarchy on the Ark, with workers at the bottom tier and scientists, council members and guards at the higher tiers. It was almost impossible to move up in the social hierarchy unless you were chosen to train as a guard, and that selection process was very stringent.

Sky People are able to metabolize high amounts of radiation as a result of advanced genetic engineering and exposure to solar radiation from living in space.[6] This ability to filter radiation with no effects on their health makes them essentially immune to the medium levels of radiation on Earth, much like the Grounders. However, the largest amounts and the biggest level of radiation from the Second Nuclear Apocalypse will kill them.

The people of the Ark believed that they are just a transitional generation who will live and die on the Ark, with the understanding that in another hundred years their descendants will be able to go down and live on the planet once the radiation levels have decreased.
During that time they adapted many rules and regulations to survive on the limited resources of the Ark. There was never enough food, water, air, medicine etc supplies these were rationed and regulated. Everyone on the Ark was engineered to be a universal donor. To control population, a single child policy was enacted. Women on the Ark received birth control implants when they hit puberty. Births were planned by removing birth control implants to allow conception and then re-implanting the birth control after the baby was born.[7]

Education

Unity Day

The Sky People celebrate the holiday called Unity Day in which they give thanks to the people of the 12 space stations that were still active during and after the nuclear apocalypse. These 12 stations came together in the year 2054, two years after the nuclear apocalypse because they "realized life would be better together."

Spirituality

The Last Tree on the Ark

“

In peace, may you leave the shore. In love, may you find the next. Safe passage on your travels until our final journey to the ground. May we meet again.

Religion on the Ark shifted to being more Earth-centric, about "going home."[8] Many of the inhabitants believed that the Ark was the human race's salvation, but also a test – that a better life would be found on Earth. The ground was viewed as Heaven,[8] and after death, citizens symbolically "returned to Earth."[9]

The Last Tree was the symbol of their beliefs, representing life on Earth. Believers cultivated and cared for the tree, donating some of their rationed water in order to keep it alive.[10] A child was selected to be the "tender of the tree", collecting the offerings of water. Gatherings were held in a large room, but the tree was small enough to be moved. After the Culling, the Last Tree was part of the memorial display.

Wells damaged the Last Tree to get himself arrested,[11] but the tree remained intact. Before her death, Vera Kane, a spiritual leader on the Ark, asked her son, Marcus Kane, to return the tree to the ground. Marcus fulfilled his mother's request and replanted the tree in the forest outside of Arkadia. It was presumably destroyed in the second Priamfaya which left the Earth a barren wasteland aside from Shallow Valley.

Crime and Punishment

All crimes on The Ark were treated as capital crimes, breaking one of the many laws led to swift execution. With the exception of minors, they are were sent to the "SkyBox", a holding detention center where they await turning 18. Once they reach the age of 18 when they were given a trial and, where it was decided if they should be "floated" or returned to the Ark’s main population.
One hundred of these delinquents were sent to Earth to see if it was habitable enough for humans to survive and were promised that their crimes would be pardoned.

Factions

Council

The Council is the governing institution that made executive decisions for The Ark, and formerly Arkadia. It was headed by the Chancellor. Through Project Exodus, the Council planned for the eventual return of the Sky People to Earth via Exodus ships. They also created the Exodus Charter, which contains the new laws for governing once the Sky People returned to the ground, although those laws were quickly abolished.

Officers

An Officer is a high rank in the bureaucracy of the Ark. Above the general officers is the Ark's governing Council which is led by the current Chancellor. The Ark's officers have information not accessible to most of the Ark's residents. Certain key knowledge is further restricted to just the Council itself.

Guard

The Guard was a group that was employed to maintained security on the Ark and later at Arkadia once they arrived on Earth. On the Ark, the Guard was in charge of surprise inspections of the Sky People's living quarters and were commonly seen working in law enforcement and providing protection. They also performed the duties of executioner when pushing the button to float Sky People charged with capital crimes. During Council meetings, Ark Guards stand watch and await orders by Council members. Guard Cadets are responsible for chaperoning public gatherings such as dances. On the Ground, the Guard goes out on scouting missions and accompanies Sky People outside the safety of Arkadia. Once the alliance between the Grounders and Sky People was established, the Guard worked alongside the Grounder Warriors, providing technology they lacked such as medicine, firearms, and tone generators.

Delinquents

The delinquents were a group of Sky People. One hundred were sent to Earth to see if it was habitable as the Ark was dying. They were promised that their crimes would be pardoned if they survived. They were the first group of Sky People to reach Earth. Upon landing they were attacked by the Woods Clan under the orders of Commander Lexa.

Spacekru

Spacekru is a survivor group of five Sky People and two Grounders, who were forced back into space to escape the Second Nuclear Apocalypse. They lived on the Go-Sci Ring, the only remaining part of the Ark still in space. They remained there for six years, unable to return to the ground. After Eligius IV arrives, they steal fuel from the ship to safely descend to the ground.

Members

Alive

As of "Praimfaya", there were approximately 106 surviving Sky People. However, there were many deaths in the six-years within the bunker and in Season Five, making the current number of survivors unknown. In Season Six, it's stated that there aren't many Sky People left, implying that there is only more than a few dozen Sky People left, as seen in the episode called "Red Sun Rising". Confirmed survivors are:

Unknown

In "The Four Horsemen", Clarke made a list of a hundred survivors. Unless they died before the culling, then they would be among those Second Dawn Bunker (except Bellamy, Raven, and Clarke who all survived elsewhere). Some of them may have died during the six years in the bunker or during season five. Except for those listed above in the "Alive" list or below in the "Deceased" list, it is unknown which of the rest are alive or dead.

* Callie Cartwig's death was never confirmed on-screen. Jason Rothenberg tweeted, "Cece was floated off camera. :) Truth is things change between pilot and series. Mainly budget."[12] It is disputed if Rothenberg meant she was executed via being floated or if he was joking on that part.

** There was a "Bryan Eng" on Clarke's list but it is unclear if this is the same Bryan who appeared in seasons 3-4. At Unity Day 2019 fan convention, Sachin Sahel said Bryan was left outside the bunker because he was not on Clarke's list.[13] However, it is disputed if Sachin Sahel was joking or not.

In Sanctum, Abby calls them Skaikru, the Sky People's Grounder name while talking to Niylah.

According to Wells, possessions on Ark were shared based on need. When a person died his things were taken to the redistribution center, as was with Charlotte's parents.

Daily rations on the Ark included tofu-like protein cubes and bare minimum of water to subsist on.[5]

In Fog of War, Jaha and Kane reminisce about how many times on the Ark they went two days without water.

During production, the Ark was envisioned with a Cathedral, a large hall with a lone oak tree with skylight looking out on earth, that was the religious center of the Ark. However, due to budgetary realities it was replaced with more modest hall with a bonsai tree.[15]

Formerly known as Camp Jaha, Arkadia was the former home base on Earth for the Sky People.

The Grounder clans view the Sky People as invaders rather than refugees.

The 100 were attacked by the Woods Clan within days of landing on Earth, and many were killed in the following weeks.

The Sky People and the Grounder Coalition were temporarily allied against Mount Weather. This alliance was broken by Lexa and the Sky People were left to die.

The Sky People joined the Coalition in Ye Who Enter Here with Kane receiving the brand of the Coalition on his forearm, against the majority of the Coalition's wishes. This did, however, allow Lexa to remain in power and bought temporary protection from attack for the Sky People.

In Season Four, after the death of Lexa, King Roan reinstated Sky People as the thirteen clan and declared, "An attack against Skaikru is an attack against us all."

↑In "Coup de Grâce", Clarke mentioned that the Sky People were genetically engineered, which was later confirmed by Kim Shumway.Shumway, Kim (December 4, 2015) Tumblr "people from the Ark are genetically engineered" - @kimshum

↑{{{name}}} (4 Jun 2014) Tweet “When puberty hits, women on the Ark receive birth control implants that are removed to have their one child.” - @the100writers